Bearings in civil structures, such as sluices, drawbridges and revolving bridges face many of the same challenges as hydropower bearings. They have to function in marine environments, reliability must be as close to absolute as possible, maintenance must be reduced to a minimum and design efficiency is always an important criterion.
Take for example the ‘Samuel Beckett’ bridge crossing the river Liffey in Dublin. The famous architect-engineer Calatrava designed this beautiful revolving bridge; one of the largest in the world. Hollandia had the honour of building it. Most details had been worked out, but the bearing constructions (axial support bearing, radial bearing, locking pin guides, quay connection bearings and drive cylinder bearings) for this 5,500 tonne bridge still needed to be designed and detailed. DRIE-D was asked to lead this operation and produce and supply all bearings. The result is a bridge that moves smoothly and gracefully without grease.

D-glide bearings are also used in the sluice gates of the Panama canal, in the world’s largest sluices in Antwerp, in various installations that make up the Delta plan that keep the Netherlands safe from flooding (including the world famous ‘Maeslantkering’), in the first fully maintenance-free drawbridge (in Harmelen in the Netherlands), in locks, gates, in ro-ro bridges and even in traffic barriers.
Although the applications of our D-glide bearings are diverse, our approach is always the same: to provide the best solution, technically, economically and efficiently.